Guacamelee (Drinkbox Studios) Review

With the launch of Sony’s PlayStation Vita, it was an unknown downloadable title that stole the show. Developer and self publisher, Drinkbox Studios, released Mutant Blobs Attack to much critical acclaim and universal praise. The titles lush 2D visuals and addicting simplistic gameplay captured gamers attentions. Now Drinkbox Studios returns with Guacamelee,a 2D platformer that offers wonderful visuals with a well-written story and solid gameplay to make Guacamelee one of the finest downloaded titles this generation.

Juan is an everyday farmer that returns from the afterlife as a superhero wrestler to fight off the demons that have come to cause havoc. If that premise sounds silly that is because it is and Drinkbox Studios pokes fun at the absurdity of the story with great comical dialogue that never tries to take itself seriously. Carrying on the tradition of the stunning 2D artwork from Mutant Blobs Attack, the developers offer a simple art style but with bright booming colors that truly bring a sense of character to the world.

Super Metroid was an obvious inspiration for Guacamelee as the title offers a non-linear approach to exploration and character development. When new abilities are acquired the game encourages the player to go back and access areas previously unattainable. You will need all the abilities you can attain to defeat some of the challenging boss encounters in the game.

Guacamelee’s 2D artwork is beautifully realized on the system’s OLED screen. Sony has really made an effort to make their platforms attractive for indie developers and with games like Guacamelee being created in this new indie-friendly environment, we have many more classic gems to look forward to (****, $14.99, available on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, Rated E for Everyone).

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on Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013 at 11:00 pm and is filed under Exclusively Online, Video Game Review.
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